Energy Conservation
A typical United States fume hood that runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, uses 3.5 times more energy than the average house! Although new hood models are more efficient, remember to close the sashes of idle hoods to reduce energy consumption in your lab. If you work with Variable Air Volume (VAV) fume hoods, you can reduce their energy consumption by 60%! A shut sash reduces the amount of exhaust escaping through the hood; then, less air needs to be conditioned and released into the room to replace it.
Turn things off!
- Turn off lab equipment you're not using (centrifuges, stir plates, etc.);
- Turn off lights in empty rooms;
- Power manage your computer, by activating sleep mode. Contact energy@fas.harvard.edu if you need help.
Shut the Sash Contest
Since 2006, we run a “Shut the Sash” contest in CCB to remind and reward people to close their sashes. Over several weeks, we track each hood to see which room decreases its exhaust (that is, had closed sashes), compared to baseline data. Educational materials, emails, and visits to group meetings accompany contest publicity and updates.
Together, the labs decreased hood exhaust by about 21%. If sustained over the course of the year, that would save over $100,000!
Water Conservation
Install control timers on water processors
Contact us at energy@fas.harvard.edu if you have water processors in your lab. We work with Evolve to install water control timers, solenoids and time over-ride switches to reduce water consumption of unused processors. The savings from this easy measure can pay back for the project in less than a year.